Introduction to the Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program

416 Pages·2015·9.75 MB·English

Introduction to the Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program

What Look AHEAD will offer you

In the Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program you will learn how to reach
a healthy balance between two parts of your lifestyle:

what you eat

and how physically active you are.

You will have two lifestyle goals.

1. One goal is to lose about 10% of your weight or more.

Your goal is to lose about pounds.

This would reduce your weight to pounds.

To lose weight, you will need to eat food with fewer calories
and food with less fat.

You will learn how to:

 Keep track of the calories and fat you eat every day.
(We will give you a calorie and fat counter.)

 Stay under the calorie and fat goal we give you
which will help you lose weight
Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program, Session 3
Ways to Eat Fewer Calories, Page 1
To help you stay under your calorie and fat goals, we will use the approach below

For the first four months, starting with Session 3, you will be asked to:
    Replace two meals and one or two snacks with
a shake or bar provided by the study.
    Follow a simple meal plan for dinner.

After four months, you will be asked to:
    Continue to replace one or two meals and snacks per day.
We will provide one shake per day.
More than 1 meal replacement per day, you need to purchase.
    Follow a simple meal plan for the other meals and snacks.

You will have a chance to taste the different shakes and snack bars
and choose the ones you like most.

We know from other studies that
this approach will help you lose weight. In addition:

 It will help you manage your blood sugar.

 It will make it easy to shop for food and prepare meals.

 You will spend less money on food.
(During the first 4 months, we will give you the shakes and snack bars at no
cost. Thereafter, we will provide only one replacement per day. If you wish
to use more than 1 meal replacement per day, you will need to purchase
those replacements.)

 It will be easy to keep track of the calories and fat you eat.

 You will have very few decisions to make about food.

 There will be less food to tempt you.
Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program, Session 3
Ways to Eat Fewer Calories, Page 2
2. The second lifestyle goal is to
slowly build up to 175 minutes per week of
moderate physical activity, like brisk walking,
by Week 26.

The Look AHEAD study suggests that you
spread this amount of physical activity over at least 5 days per week.

For example:

Weeks 1-4: Walk 50 minutes per week (10 minutes on 5 days per week).

Weeks 5-8: Walk 75 minutes per week (15 minutes on 5 days per week).

Weeks 9-12: Walk 100 minutes per week (20 minutes on 5 days per week).

Weeks 13-16: Walk 125 minutes per week (25 minutes on 5 days per week).

Weeks 17-20: Walk 150 minutes per week (30 minutes on 5 days per week).

Weeks 21-26: Walk 175 minutes per week (35 minutes on 5 days per week).

To help you reach this goal, you will be expected to:

 Walk or exercise as shown above on at least 5 days per week.
 Keep track of the activity you do every day.
 Wear a pedometer to measure the steps you take.
Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program, Session 3
Ways to Eat Fewer Calories, Page 3
The Look AHEAD lifestyle goals are safe and can be reached.

We will help you reach the goals by making gradual, healthy, and
reasonable changes in your eating and activity.

Look AHEAD strongly believes that reaching the lifestyle goals:

1. Will improve your diabetes management.

Research has shown that losing weight
and being active can:
 Improve blood sugar levels.
 Help the body use insulin.
Better diabetes management may also help with other health problems.

2. May prevent heart disease.

Research has shown that weight loss and physical activity can:
 Lower blood pressure.
 Lower blood levels of LDL ("bad" cholesterol or fat in the blood).
 Raise blood levels of HDL ("good" cholesterol or fat in the blood).

These changes may reduce the chance of getting heart disease.

3. Will help you feel better and be healthy.

Research has shown that losing weight and being active can:
 Relieve tension, helping you to relax and sleep.
 Give you more energy and make it easier to get around.
 Reduce your risks of certain cancers.

4. Will set a good example for your family and friends.

Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program, Session 3
Ways to Eat Fewer Calories, Page 4
Changing behavior takes work. You can do it!
And we are here to help.

The Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program has been carefully designed.
It is based on many research studies of the best ways to help people change.

In this program we will help you

 Learn the facts about healthy eating and being active.

 Learn what makes it hard for you to eat healthy and be active.
Learn how to change these things so they work for you, not against you.

For example, you’ll learn how to:

 Find the time to be active.

  Ask for what you want when you eat out.

 Keep things around you at home and at work that
make you want to be active and eat healthy.
Get rid of things that get in the way
of meeting your goals. Wtodaalky !

 Stop negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones.

 Get back on your feet again when you slip
from your plans for healthy eating and being active.

 Handle stress, social events, and other people
that make it hard for you to change.

We will also give you the long-term support you need.

Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program, Session 3
Ways to Eat Fewer Calories, Page 5
Sessions
During the first six months, we will meet once a week for 19 group sessions and 5
individual sessions (shaded below). Here are the session topics:

Session Topic Session Topic

Welcome to the Look How Are You Doing?
1 13

AHEAD Lifestyle Program (Individual Session)

Getting Started: Tip the Talk Back to Negative
2 14

Calorie Balance Thoughts
Ways to Eat Fewer The Slippery Slope of
3 15
Calories Lifestyle Change
4 Move Those Muscles 16 Emotions and You

How Are You Doing? How Are You Doing?
5 17
(Individual Session) (Individual Session)

Working With What’s Handling Holidays,
6 18
Around You Vacations, Special Events
7 Problem Solving Jump Start Your Activity
19
Plan: Muscle Training

Being Active:
8
A Way of Life Make Social Cues Work
20
for You

How Are You Doing?
9
(Individual Session)
How Are You Doing?
21
(Individual Session)
10 Healthy Eating
22 You Can Manage Stress
More About Healthy
11
Eating
23 Ways to Stay Motivated

Four Keys to Healthy Becoming A Weight Loss
12 24
Eating Out Expert

After Session 24:
 During months 7-12, you will have one individual and two group sessions per
month.
 During years 2-4, you will have one individual session per month.
Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program, Session 3
Ways to Eat Fewer Calories, Page 6
We will work together as a TEAM.

As your Counselor, I will count on you to:


 Come to sessions and bring your Look AHEAD notebook.
Call 24 hours ahead if you must miss a session.
You can call me at .
(phone number of Counselor)
 Do your best to reach your eating and activity goals.
That includes doing home activities to practice what you learn.

 Keep track of your eating and activity 7 days a week. Be accurate and
complete. That will let the program work best for your personal needs.

 Keep track of your weight at home.

 Let me know if you have any problems.

 Stay willing and open to change.

You can count on me to:

 Go over your records of what you eat and your activity. Notice what you are
doing well and what you can do to help you reach your goals.

 Answer your questions.

 Stand by you during hard times.

 Believe you can reach your goals. Support and help you.

We agree to work together in the ways described above.

Signed:
Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program, Session 3
Ways to Eat Fewer Calories, Page 7
For My Family and Friends

I have joined the Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program.

In the program, I will have two goals.

1. The first goal is to lose about 10% of my weight or more.
My goal will be to lose about pounds.
This would reduce my weight to pounds.

To lose weight, I will be asked to:
 Eat food with fewer calories and food with less fat.
 Keep track of the calories and fat I eat every day using a Calorie
Counter.
 Stay under the calorie and fat goals given to me.

2. The second goal is to slowly build up to 175 minutes per week of
moderate physical activity, like brisk walking, by Week 26. The Look
AHEAD study suggests that I spread this amount of physical activity over
at least 5 days per week.

For example:
Weeks 1-4: Walk 50 minutes per week (10 minutes on 5 days per week).
Weeks 5-8: Walk 75 minutes per week (15 minutes on 5 days per week).
Weeks 9-12: Walk 100 minutes per week (20 minutes on 5 days per week).
Weeks 13-16: Walk 125 minutes per week (25 minutes on 5 days per week).
Weeks 17-20: Walk 150 minutes per week (30 minutes on 5 days per week).
Weeks 21-26: Walk 175 minutes per week (35 minutes on 5 days per week).

To become more active, I will be asked to:
 Walk or exercise as shown above
on at least 5 days per week.
  Keep track of the activity I do every day.
  Wear a pedometer to measure the steps I take.

The Look AHEAD staff will help me reach these goals.
I will also need your support.

Thank you.
Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program, Session 3
Ways to Eat Fewer Calories, Page 8
Think about the questions below. In the blanks, write some notes about your
thoughts. We will talk about them together.

Remember your purpose

 Why did you join Look AHEAD?

 What do you hope to achieve by taking part in Look AHEAD?

 How will your healthy eating help you? How will it help others?

 How will your losing weight help you? How will it help others?

 How will your being physically active help you? How will it help
others?
Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program, Session 3
Ways to Eat Fewer Calories, Page 9
What have you learned in the past?
Where do you stand now?

Weight and eating

 What has been your highest adult weight? When? How did you feel about it?
What has been your lowest adult weight? When? How did you feel about it?


 How do you feel about your weight now ( pounds)?

 Have you tried to lose weight before? When? How? What went well?
What problems did you have?

 Have you gone through cycles of losing weight and then gaining it back
again? How many times? When? How did you feel about that?

 Are you aware of anything that caused you to regain weight in the past?

Look AHEAD Lifestyle Program, Session 3
Ways to Eat Fewer Calories, Page 10